What to Do if You See a Turtle on the Road Turtles are among the most threatened groups of vertebrate animals on earth—and too many are dying on our roads. As the weather warms up, turtles and tortoises are on the move. Especially females, who may be looking for a place to nest—and unfortunately, that place may very well be on the other side of a road. In some areas, turtle habitats are entirely boxed in by roads, meaning that these creatures are at an even higher risk of a vehicle collision. "Because turtles are long-lived species that mature slowly and have fairly low reproductive outputs, the survival and longevity of adults, especially females, is critical to the survival of populations," explains Kiley Briggs at The Oreanne Society. "So the fact that roadkill disproportionately affects mature females means that for some populations, only losing a few turtles per year due to vehicle strikes can tilt the balance toward gradual extirpation (localized extinction)."
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